Boho Bags

As a girl can never have too many bags experienced crafter and tutor Beate presents fifteen new designs to tempt us. Full size paper patterns and detailed instructions ensure that the sewer will learn numerous specialised bag-making techniques, and by varying the fabrics used can create a collection of unique, attractive and functional bags for every occasion. This book is suitable for all abilities although knowledge of basic sewing techniques would be an advantage. Excellent value for money.

Bag Special 2016

This collection of fifteen soft and slouchy bohemian inspired bags made using a variety of textiles often cotton with webbing, leather or linen accents or hardware. Templates are included for each bag, and the designs are easily adaptable, so if you’re a keen bag designer or experienced sewer, you will find it very easy to change the templates for size or to adapt the style. As mang of the deisgns use un pieced cotton panels, you could also adapt them to include blocks or piece your own panels to suit. I really like the different methods for creating the handles that are used in some of these projects. The crocheted polyamide cord and the bag with a choice of handles are really unsual and look like fun to make. I would happily make and use all the bags here, which isn’t often the case. I enjoy bag making, and love handbags but often the more interesting the technique, the more likely the result is a bag I don’t use, while a pretty or useful bag can be boring to construct. I like the look fo the finished product and methods used here, so I may have to make a new bag very soon.

Useful contemporary bags to make. There is a fold out cover featuring colour pics of the designs. The inside back flap has a pattern sheet. There are roomy, casual bags that are fun to make and use. They include drawstring, gathered, rounded, pleated bags and more. The instructions seem clear but I would have liked slightly larger step-by-step photos. This book has been previously published in German.

Beate Schmitz is an avid seamstress who is also an accomplished crocheter, designer, illustrator, writer and teacher. She has worked for publishers such as Christophorus in Germany and is now resident seamstress and teacher at the ‘Sewing Room’; a workshop which teaches the basics of sewing to amateur and aspiring designers based in Freiburg, Germany.